SB Nation User Blog: cubbiejulie

BCB Game Get Together

cubbiejulie — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:19:12 -0000

Let's try this again.

Tickets go on sale Friday, and it we want to make the BCB game get-together a reality, we need to get our act together.

We are looking at the Saturday, June 16 date. That's a noon game against San Diego.

If you can or think you can attend, please post below. While I love you all, I don't need to know who can't come or why. We just need a count of how many people will be attending. Please don't clutter up this diary with stories of what you will be doing instead of attending the game on that date.

Then, based on the number of people attending, we are going to need volunteers to grab 6 tickets each for that game. No one is going to lose any money on this, because bleacher seats for a Saturday in June will be a snap to get rid of.

That said, post away. Email me with questions.

Z Update: It's Not Looking Good

cubbiejulie — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:13:58 -0000

Bruce Miles has the update on Z and the upcoming arbitration.

MESA, Ariz. - Cubs general manager Jim Hendry left the parking lot at Fitch Park at 11:20 this morning, apparently to head home and change into his suit for an afternoon salary-arbitration hearing with pitcher Carlos Zambrano.

Minutes earlier, Hendry and Zambrano met for 2-3 minutes on one of the practice fields, with Hendry doing a lot of hand gesturing.

With it appearing the two sides had failed to strike an agreement on a one-year contract, the stage was set for an arbitration hearing at 3 p.m. Chicago time today at a Phoenix hotel. The hearing would be the first for the Cubs since 1993, when they went to an arbitration hearing with first baseman Mark Grace.

Zambrano is seeking $15.5 million for 2007, and the Cubs are offering $11.025 million. Last season, when Zambrano went 16-7 with a 3.41 ERA, he made $6.5 million.

There was still a chance the two sides could settle their differences, even up to the minutes before the hearing starts. The Cubs do not wish to settle at the midpoint number because they feel Zambrano's side has filed much too high at $15.5 million. The arbitration panel must choose one number or the other.

Chad, I might need that mai tai sooner than we thought.

Discuss.

Tuesday OBD: Big Z/Rivera WTF? Edition

cubbiejulie — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:56:28 -0000

I do believe that Chad owes me a drink.

Thanks to tyger for today's OBD title suggestion, I added Rivera in because I am DEVASTATED by whatever went down between him and Lovie yesterday. I think we've made a HUGE mistake in letting Chico go.

Ron Rivera becomes NFL's official bastard child

In the last two years, Ron Rivera has interviewed for nine head coaching positions and has been passed over every time. Taking note of the league's distain for Rivera, the Bears have also taken a pass on their defensive coordinator of the last three seasons and have unexpectedly decided not to renew Rivera's expiring contract.

Head coach Lovie Smith, who is expected to receive a lucrative contract extension this off-season, will most likely promote his longtime friend and current assistant head coach and linebackers coach Bob Babich to the vacant position. Rumors have already begun to swirl that the new deal with the head coach has forced the team to cut corners by hiring an inexperienced assistant to replace Rivera.

"This has nothing to do with the Bears being cheap," General Manager Jerry Angelo said at the Bears press conference Monday, speaking into a cheap megaphone instead of a microphone while standing on a makeshift podium made of a soap box. "It's pretty simple, if nine other NFL teams have taken a pass on him, why the heck do we want him?"

Frankly, I think this is interfering with my feelings for Lovie. There, I said it.

As for Z, I guess we all just sit tight for today and see what happens. Frankly, I find it sad and hilarious that Hendry can find tons of cash for the likes of Lilly and Marquis, but goes to Scrooge McDuck for advice when it comes to Z. I guess it could be worse:

Pirates GM Begins Making Frantic, Haphazard Moves After Realizing It's Almost Spring Training

PITTSBURGH--While watching the noon edition of SportsCenter in his pajamas Tuesday, an alarmed Pirates GM Doug Littlefield suddenly realized that spring training was just one week away and he had yet to make a single offseason transaction.

"Shit shit shit--what do we need? Hitters? Pitchers? Pitchers. Can never have enough pitching. Who's a pitcher? Let's see, Randy Johnson, Roy Oswalt, Tom Glavine--wait, wasn't there some Japanese guy now who's good?"

Littlefield reportedly said as he went to go put on pants, started running the shower, and picked up the phone to call his assistant. "Who's still available... A... A... Armas. Tony Armas Jr. Wait, is he already on the Pirates? No, that's Shawn Chacon. Good, that's one. Think, think: Who else is there in baseball?"

In good news for mankind, no one went to Paris Hilton's birthday party:

February 20, 2007 -- HOLLYWOOD A-listers shunned celebutard Paris Hilton's 26th birthday in Las Vegas in favor of hanging out in New York for Untitled Entertainment founder Jason Weinberg's 40th birthday at Midtown hot spot The Grand on Friday night. The power player toasted his big day with close friends Clive Davis, Kanye West, Marissa Tomei, Amy Sacco and Naomi Watts. Weinberg even had his "Happy Birthday" sung to him by Blondie legend Debbie Harry.

Meanwhile, Hilton held her party at Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Vegas, but the bash turned out to be more of a bust. "There were no names there except for [sister] Nicky Hilton and Nicole Richie," said our source.

Finally! The universe is self-correcting. Set the doomsday clock back at least 5 minutes.

Oh wait.

But even without many boldfaces, things at the after-party at the Penthouse Suite got a little odd. After downing TY KU liquor and bottles of Dom Perignon, guests reported seeing Hilton play with a monkey while a band of midgets led a pack of goats around the room.

Sigh. Nevermind. We're all toast.

5 songs on my iPod:

Knock Me Down: RHCP
I Will: The Beatles
Jesus, etc: Wilco
Isanity: Liz Phair
Must I Paint You a Picture?: Billy Bragg

QOTD: (I know we've done this before, but I am feeling lazy today)

Ask any BCBer anything you want to know.

Top 10 Hottest Cubs of All-Time

#4 Kyle Farnsworth/Raffy Palmeiro(tie)

He ain't smart, but he sure is pretty:

Who cares if he's a cheater and needs Viagra? Back in his day, there was a reason Cindy couldn't control herself. Besides, facial hair has really grown on me:

Oh yeah, and to the slackers at Blendtec: BLEND SOMETHING NEW ALREADY!!!!!!!

Monday OBD: Bald Edition

cubbiejulie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:21:02 -0000

Before we start, let me just say that I bet I know EXACTLY why Britney shaved her head, and I'm surprised that no one has brought this up. She's in the middle of an ugly custody dispute with her husband. Drug tests are routinely requested and ordered by judges in custody cases. And they don't test for urine. They test, you guessed it, hair follicles. This is because drugs are detectable in hair for something like 90 days, whereas with urine it's usually less than 30 days. But if you get rid of your hair, you essentially get rid of all the evidence.

Just sayin.

For those of who loved "Waking Ned Devine," I give you the real life version. . . only without the charming Irish villagers, the scenic beauty, and . . . .uh, a lot more grossness:

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Police called to a Long Island man's house discovered the mummified remains of the resident, dead for more than a year, sitting in front of a blaring television set.

The 70-year-old Hampton Bays, New York, resident, identified as Vincenzo Ricardo, appeared to have died of natural causes. Police said on Saturday his body was discovered on Thursday when they went to the house to investigate a report of a burst water pipe.

"You could see his face. He still had hair on his head," Newsday quoted morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus as saying. The home's low humidity had preserved the body.

Officials could not explain why the electricity had not been turned off, considering Ricardo had not been heard from since December 2005.

Neighbors said when they had not seen Ricardo, who was diabetic and had been blind for years, they assumed he was in the hospital or a long-term care facility.

Awesome neighbors. It takes a village, people.

From the "their parents must be so proud"" files:

JERUSALEM - Israeli police investigating why a car was blocking traffic in the fast lane of a major highway on Sunday found a couple inside having sex.

A police spokesman said the female driver and her male passenger gave in to their passions without pulling over to the side of the road, causing congestion and leaving other motorists having to swerve to dodge their stationary vehicle.

A patrolman gave the woman a ticket for holding up traffic.

You guys were right, that beef jerky/fritos body lotion works wonders.

If you hate Michael Irvin as much as I do, you'll love this gem from The Heckler:

Irvin mourns ESPN firing with coke and whore binge

Same way he celebrated getting the job in 2003

ESPN has told NFL analyst Michael Irvin that they will no longer need his services. Irvin, who worked for ESPN since 2003, didn't seem too disappointed in the network's choice. The former Dallas Cowboy mourned the decision with a three-day binge that included drugs, sex and more drugs, which was the same way he celebrated getting the job three years ago.

"I have no idea why ESPN wouldn't renew my contract and to be honest, I don't care," Irvin said, while hunched over a large mound of cocaine. "I don't have to put up with drug tests, Chris Berman and boring-ass Bristol, Conn."

The unemployed Irvin says he used his newly acquired free time in South Beach where he partied at the hottest night clubs, slept with "a hell of a lot" of women and snorted as much coke as he could get his hands on.

"These last few days have been great. Saturday night was off the hook. I had one girl on my left knee, another on my right knee and a third giving me a hit of blow," Irvin bragged. "I don't need ESPN's chump-change. This is the life."

Irvin showed he still has some of his "Playmaker" magic left when he jumped over three chairs, caught a falling shot of Patron and stuck a hundred dollar bill into a stripper's thong, all in one motion.

Heh. Did I mention that I hate Michael Irvin? I did? Oh.

A hilarious Heckler Poll:

Now that Kerry Wood was hurt, who will be the next Cubs pitcher to miss time because of an injury?

a) Mark Prior, bruised ego & torn rotator cuff
b) Ryan Dempster, broken funny bone
c) Jason Marquis, ruptured ERA
d) Ted Lilly, blown stack
e) Wait, aren't they all hurt already?

Even The Heckler hates Marquis.

5 songs on my iPod: Birthday Edition:

End of the World as We Know It: REM
I Wanna Be Sedated: The Ramones
Extraordinary: Liz Phair
Satisfaction: The Stones
Julie's In The Drug Squad: The Clash

QOTD: What pop culture subject do you feel merits only a fraction of the attention it gets?

Top 10 Hottest Cubs of All-Time

#5 Michael Barrett/Kerry Wood(tie)

Disclaimer: I don't find either of these two all that attractive, but I know that many women do. I just don't get into blondes, I guess. Or guys from Texas. But objectively, I can see that they are great looking, even if I wouldn't look twice at them on the street.

So here you go:

And:

Julie's BCB Smack Talk League

cubbiejulie — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:46:51 -0000

This diary is for ksucubbie, so he doesn't get in trouble at work. ;)

Here are the issues we need to resolve:

League name
mixed league or NL only?
free or pay league?
online or offline draft?
if online, what nights are people available?
what are you guys getting me for my birthday?

I propose the following:

Acolytes of the Scarlet Witch (heh)
mixed
free, but with a prize to the winner (a la Tom's suggestion)

4/5) online, the sunday night before the season starts. approx. 8:00 CST. Drinks shall be required.

6) surprise me

Next!

Diary Control Diary

cubbiejulie — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 15:31:54 -0000

Let's chat, shall we? Please, sit. Please. No, really. I insist.

We've had some problems on this site as of late, and frankly, it's starting to annoy me and a lot of other people who are valued posters on this site. I am speaking, of course, about the so-called "hijacking" of diaries. And before you start calling me "pot," I will freely admit that, in the past, I have been as guilty of this as anyone. That said, this practice has got to stop.

I know that many of us have come from other blogs, and hence are familiar with the "open thread" diaries. For those of you who don't know, the open thread is generally a diary where you can post, at all hours of the day and night, about whatever pops into your head. Do you fear North Korea? Have an opinion about which flavor of Pop Tarts is tastier? Want to report suspected subliminal messaging during "Fairly Oddparents?" Then the open thread is the place for you.

In this vein, we created the "Non-Baseball Diary," which has since morphed into the "OBD" last May, in order to combat this very problem. For those of you that were around then, you will remember some of the better diaries (and sometimes the game diaries) would often devolve into a mess of movie quotes, personal anecdotes, and something that resembled an online singles bar.

As of late, it seems that, every night, some unfortunate diary becomes the victim of unruly hijackers. As one of the more prolific diary posters here, I can tell you that it really sucks when you put some thought into a diary, and wake up to find that there are 200 + comments on a diary, only to discover upon opening it that most of the comments have nothing to do with what you've written about (see my meltdown on the Smack Talk diary for more on how this makes a diary poster's head explode).

All that said, enough. Okay? The OBD is there for a reason; to direct all the OT traffic into one area so it doesn't pollute other threads. Frankly, Al and I are starting to get emails from a lot of diary posters who are upset about what is happening to their diaries. Diaries take time to write, and it's not fair to their authors to take them over talking about, well. . . basically nothing. To be honest, it's making this site more reminiscent of cubs.com and it's driving valued posters away. So feel free to hijack the OBD till the cows come home, but leave the other diaries alone.

In the same vein, before you post a diary, please think about whether or not it actually merits a diary. We're getting a lot of diaries lately, consisting of a couple of lines, asking people what they think our lineup will be or whether we think Wood and Prior will be healthy. That's not diary material; that's worthy of a comment on a related thread.

Also, please at least try to convey something about the subject matter of the diary in your diary title. Sometimes we get 5 diaries on the same topic because the first diary posted has a funny title, but not one that tells people what it's about.

I'm not posting this to pick on anyone, but rather to let you guys know that, as much fun as we have here, it's starting to cause problems. Please try to be considerate of other posters.

The season is starting. There's going to be a lot more to talk about. Let's all have fun and keep other people's feelings in mind.

Thanks.

[editor's note, by Al] Julie & I had a discussion about this topic this morning and she offered to make this post, to which I add my complete agreement. Let's all have fun, enjoy posting about the Cubs and baseball and when appropriate, other topics. Thanks from me too.

Friday OBD: Hot Chocolate & Hard Liquor Edition

cubbiejulie — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:31:43 -0000

It's freakin -4 degrees out there right now. Gah! I love winter, but this is getting ridiculous. Nothing like walking across the river in a skirt in weather like this. I can't say anymore without sharing too much.

We begin with The Heckler's first report from Spring Training:

Cubs pitchers report to camp, battle for use of training room remote control

Cubs pitchers and catchers reported to Mesa Wednesday, attempting to get in shape for the grueling MLB season. While the pitching staff will use spring training to jockey for spots in the starting rotation, define roles in the bullpen, and get accustomed to a new manager, one battle has already begun--the quest for possession of the coveted remote control of the training room television.

"I've been on this team for nine years," said training room veteran Kerry Wood, already injured from a hot tub fall. "My seniority should dictate I get to choose what to watch."

The competition for dominance of the remote in the training room would not be quite so heated if the pitcher's preference of shows wasn't so varied.

"Kerry's pretty particular about his shows," said Cubs training assistant Mike Gompertz. "He likes to watch the reality courtroom dramas like Judge Mathis, Judge Judy, and especially Texas Justice. [Mark] Prior prefers game shows, and [Wade] Miller is big on soaps. He throws a hissy fit if he doesn't get to see 'his stories' and we don't like Wade to throw anything. It's not good for his career."

Already aware of these problems, new manager Lou Piniella devised a plan.

"We need to stress fundamentals this spring," said Piniella, "like quickly changing the channel during commercials, keeping the volume at one level, and constantly checking the batteries."

For the love of God, if the remote is in Prior's hand, please, PLEASE just leave it there. I can't even begin to fathom what kind of career-ending injury he could suffer in a fall from a papazan chair.

It's been a long time coming, but finally, all of us who hate Duke can have a good, long laugh at their expense:

Mike Krzyzewski Assures Duke Players That Team Is Ranked 26th

CHAPEL HILL, NC--Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski reassured his slumping basketball team, which fell from the national top-25 rankings for the first time in 11 years following losses to Virginia, Florida State, UNC, and Maryland that they are in fact the very first team to have fallen off the charts. "Don't worry, gentlemen, we're the first team listed once you get past all the those teams there in the poll," Krzyzewski said in a post-practice team meeting at which he unveiled a banner stating the new team philosophy, "Unbeaten In Practice Equals Practically Unbeaten." "Duke is not just another also-ran--we're the top shelf of the second tier of college basketball." Krzyzewski blamed his team's recent fall in the rankings to a combination of unusually even-handed officiating, and "vengeful" opposing teams "running up the score" to a total of one or more points than Duke's.

Take THAT, Christian Laettner, you big fat cheater. Stomping on people's HEADS during the Final Four. I HATE you!!!!! Hey. . .did I ever tell you guys that many of my friends believe I am responsible for Bobby Hurley's near death experience? It's true. Also, I once almost made him cry on Space Mountain. That rocked.

Speaking of near death experiences, have you guys seen this?!?!?!

CANBERRA, Australia - A German paraglider was encased in ice and blacked out after being sucked into a tornado-like thunderstorm in Australia and carried to a height greater than Mount Everest. She survived.

"The glider kept climbing, climbing and I couldn't see anything," recalled Ewa Wisnerska. "Then it got dark."

The 2005 World Cup winner was lifted 32,612 feet (9,940 meters) above sea level by the storm near Manilla in New South Wales state while preparing for the tenth FAI World Paragliding Championships next week.

Deeeeaaaammmmnnn. Maybe I won't complain about walking across the river in a skirt anymore today. Wow. That sounds. . . .really uncomfortable.

I love this guy

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A man whose habit of jogging in a park wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes said he would keep his clothes on after he was fined $95 for indecent exposure.

Darryl Delacruz, a Silicon Valley engineer, said he would miss the "liberating feeling" of running naked in Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. But he conceded his personal comfort was less important than the discomfort he caused others.

"I'll go back, but I'll be wearing clothes," he said. "I don't want people to have the wrong impression."

Stories like that make me wonder why all my friends are so boring. Would it kill one of you to loosen up a little? Try something new? Take up nude jogging so we have something new to talk about? Pfffft.

5 songs on my iPod:

Fall At Your Feet: Neil Finn

You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man: Loretta Lynn

Someone to Love: Queen

Sleep Now in the Fire: Rage Against The Machine

Can't Stand Losing You: The Police

QOTD: You are stranded on a desert island. You can take on personal item with you. What is it?

For me, it depends on whether anyone else is there. If so, it's mascara. If not, it's my iPod. I would learn to understand solar energy and harness the sun's power to charge it forever.

Today's Top Ten Hottest Cubs of All-Time

#6 Mike Bielecki

That's Hunky Mike with me & Sparkles at the Convention. Aren't we all dreamy?

Thursday OBD: Birthday Edition

cubbiejulie — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:09:10 -0000

Happy Birthday to my hubby, who officially enters his mid-30s today. Hee. Sorry about moving out of that coveted 18-34 year old demographic. Now that you are old, no one cares what you think or buy anymore. On the plus side, no one will care what you buy anymore, so quit worrying about the denture cream, Preparation H, and adult diapers.

We begin today with the scandal that is rocking the world of double wides and shrines to Dale:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Michael Waltrip apologized Thursday for his team's role in NASCAR's biggest cheating scandal, saying he was so embarrassed he almost pulled out of Daytona 500 preparations.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner, who lost two key crew members Wednesday when NASCAR penalized his team for using a fuel additive, said he had to be talked into racing by his wife and Toyota officials who are seething that Waltrip tainted their Nextel Cup debut.

Apparently, certain NASCAR teams were putting a fuel additive in to be able to make endless left turns at a marginally faster rate. Not quite as sexy as hitting 50 extra home runs a year, but they're doing what they can.

From The Heckler, a story regarding some of the unintended consequences of Andy Masur's new job:

Masur's departure leaves critical void during Pat Hughes' 8th inning bathroom breaks

WGN radio's Andy Masur--who's spent the last five years covering for Cubs play-by-play man Pat Hughes' late-game, half-inning breaks--is leaving the station for greener pastures in San Diego, where he will work Padres' radio broadcasts.

Masur leaves behind an eight-year legacy that WGN management will be hard-pressed to fill.

"When it comes to working five, maybe 10 minutes, nobody in radio gives a better effort than Little Andy Masur," said WGN's station manager Steve Grogan, brushing back a tear. "And who will be able to forget Andy's tireless dedication to his famed 'Square D Scoreboard' updates?"

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa this week, Grogan is eager to plug the hole swiftly. According to the WGN Web site, qualified applicants will "have the innate ability to drive Ron Santo around in golf cart during Spring Training" and "keep seat warm for Pat Hughes during 8th inning bathroom breaks."

Several candidates have lined up to fill the position, including former Cubs Dave Otto, Mike Bielecki and Randy Hundley, and Lindsay Walters, a 7th grader from Des Plaines, who posts on her MySpace account that she "likes broadcasting and stuff."

Hey! I didn't even get offered an interview for that job!

No matter what side of the aisle your political views fall on, you HAVE to find this funny:

WASHINGTON, DC--President Bush announced Monday that his administration will permanently sever ties with the democratically controlled United States Congress, ending a nearly 220-year-old alliance between the two governmental branches.

"Our administration no longer recognizes the authority of this rogue body," said Bush in a televised Oval Office address. "Clearly, these combative men and women have a political agenda in direct opposition to our own. They have no concern for my national interests, and have left me no choice."

After six years of cordial relations between the executive and legislative branches of government, tensions flared up in January when Congress came under the control of "hostile new leadership." After a dramatic standoff last week over American policy in Iraq, the president openly denounced Congress, refused to accept calls from majority leaders, and returned Congress-approved legislation unsigned and unread.

See? Cause it's not a Bush joke, it's just a government joke. And. . . oh, never mind. It's funny because it's true.

5 songs on my iPod:

Wild Horses: Elvis Costello & Lucinda Williams
You Were Meant for Me: Jewel
Damn Good Disguise: The Mendoza Line
Extraordinary: Liz Phair
Mrs Robinson: The Lemonheads

QOTD: What do you do in the mornings before the OBD is posted?

Today's Top 100 Hottest Cubs:

#7 Ryne Sandberg:

This is kind of a weird one for me, because it's hard for me to a) get past the fluffy hair, and b) remember him like this. But, it turns out that, in his younger days, Ryno was pretty dishy.

See?

CJ, they don't get much more square-jawed than that.

Wednesday (Updated!) OBD: Valentine's Edition

cubbiejulie — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:37:36 -0000

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Sorry guys, it was an ugly morning/day in court today. My Valentine's Day begun with getting my a** completely waxed by a far inferior attorney, and got even better when I got back to my office to discover that my co-workers were devouring the box of Godiva chocolates that my husband had delivered to my office. Then it got cold. Really cold, and now I'm curled up under a blanket in front of the fire, and I can't feel my feet. Blah on that.

So this shall be the truncated version of the OBD today. I admire all of you for going over 100 comments and recommending a diary that says absolutely nothing. Good on ya.

We begin with The Heckler's touching story of unrequited love. Or maybe it is requited. Who the hell knows?

*John Madden sends Brett Favre Valentine's Day gift*

QB's wife mistakenly thinks delivery is for her

John Madden has had a well-known man-crush on Brett Favre for years. The NBC color commentator took the relationship a step further today when he sent a Valentine's Day card, bouquet of roses and a box of half-eaten chocolates to his all-time favorite football player.

When the delivery arrived at the Favre residence, Brett's wife Deanna mistakenly thought the gift was for her. She couldn't believe when she opened the card and saw it was for Brett.

"The front of the card said 'I Want to Score with You'," Deanna Favre said. "The inside had a picture of Brett and John together and he scribbled, 'Brett, You're the Extra Point to my Touchdown, Love John Madden.'"

Deanna said she was going to give the heart-shaped box of chocolates to their children but was disgusted to find nearly all of the candies had been eaten.

"Every one of the chocolates had a bite taken out of them." She described. "The only ones that were left were ones filled with coconut."

Madden and Favre were last seen heading to the Sybaris in Joliet.

Ever wonder where most people meet their SOs? Wonder no more:

Heh. I met my husband on the set of "Mr & Mrs. Smith" too. Go figure.

5 songs on my iPod: Romance Edition
Wish You Were Here: Pink Floyd
The Blower's Daughter: Damien Rice
Baby Can I Hold You Tonight: Tracey Chapman
Nothing Compares 2 U: Sinead O'Connor
Slip So Easily: Sweetwater

QOTD: What is your worst Valentine's Day Memory?

Mine was when a ton of my relatives got gunned down in a garage on the north side. That Valentine's Day totally blew.

Top Ten Hottest Cubs: #8

*Ryan O'Malley*

And before everyone goes complaining that he's too low on the list, I just want to say that the only reason he's not in the Top 5 is because he didn't play for the Cubs for that long.

Cubs Deal Ryu

cubbiejulie — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:20:25 -0000

For those of you who witnessed the hilarity, here's what happened. jonpyardi and I both posted diaries about this deal just as it was posted on the Trib's website. Then I got an email from Al, who said "hey, this is the kind of stuff I want you to put on the front page when I'm not around."

So Julie, in her infinite wisdom, said "Hey, no problem. I'll put it on the front page right now!"

Fast foward about 8 minutes, as Julie tries to figure out why she can no longer find the diary anywhere. Oops.

So sorry to Al and to everyone whose comments got deleted. I am fully aware of my suckitude. It is, however, my first week on the job.

Now then, the Trib reported today that the Cubs sent righty Jae Kuk Ryu to Tampa Bay for a couple of propects:

The Cubs got their roster down to 40 on the eve of training camp by trading Korean right-hander Jae Kuk Ryu to Tampa Bay for a pair of prospects.

Outfielder Andrew Lopez, who hit .256 with four home runs and 27 RBIs at Class-A Princeton, and right-handed pitcher Gregory Reinhard, who went 6-10 for Class-A Southwest Michigan, were acquired for Ryu, who briefly pitched for the Cubs last season.

Lopez was an eighth round selection in the 2005 draft, while Reinhard was selected in the sixth round of the same draft. The Cubs had to pare the roster down to 40 by the start of camp, after being one man over due to the addition of Notre Dame pitcher Jeff Samardzija last month.

Ryu is 36-28 with a 3.42 ERA in 118 minor league games, and was 0-1 with an 8.40 ERA in his brief stint with the Cubs last summer.

Sorry to all of you who were big fans of ERAs over 25.00. For my part, I have yet to forgive Ryu for his debut performance, for which I am still in therapy.

The two guys we got don't sound like anything all that special, either:

Lopez, 20, was the Devil Rays' eighth-round selection in the 2005 draft. He played with Single-A Princeton in 2006 and batted .338 (22-for-65) against left-handed pitching while posting a .316 average (31-for-98) with 16 runs in 28 July games. Overall, the right-handed batter hit .256 with 4 home runs and 27 RBI while producing a .356 on-base percentage.

A graduate of Elk Grove (Calif.) High School, Lopez batted .325 (39-for-120) in 34 games with Princeton in 2005.

Reinhard, 23, was Tampa Bay's sixth-round selection in the 2005 draft. His 142.0 innings pitched and 134 strikeouts each ranked third on the Single-A Southwest Michigan's pitching staff in 2006. A native of Marinette, Wis., he posted a 5-3 record with a 3.52 ERA (31 ER/79.1 IP) in 14 home starts while going 1-7 with a 5.74 ERA (40 ER/62.2 IP) in 13 road games (12 starts).

Reinhard, who attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, set the school record with 19 strikeouts against the University of Wisconsin-Stout on April 17, 2005.

So, I guess to sum up my feelings on this deal, I can only say, "meh."